Empty space between dining room/kitchen
ctaron
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
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Wall of windows with large empty vertical space between - help!
Comments (27)Rather than focus on the wall of windows you might first paint the walls a mid-tone or darker which will do wonders at warming up the room. You may not then need to dress the windows at all. You have very valid reasons for leaving them uncovered. Window coverings for that expanse of windows will be very costly and there are many other ways of warming up the room. If you are interested in having plants to soften the space you might consider a couple of Dieffenbachia as they are fairly inexpensive when small and grow quite quickly. Of course there are warnings about the toxicity but I've never had kids or pets eat them and I have read that warning is over-rated. I've had one grow to over 8' tall and seen them much taller than that. They actually do better in lower light situations and mine did well in a north-east window. Whatever plant you choose you could put it on a pedestal when small for greater impact. I'm not a fan of accent walls so wouldn't advise painting the fireplace wall a different color. Too often accent walls don't work as intended for interest and I think there is enough going on in this large room so that keeping all walls the same color would be best....See MorePowder room between dining room and kitchen?
Comments (15)Thanks for the kind words, Moni. For all I share this tale: In my previous old house there was no first floor bathroom, and we had an aging parent living with us. We decided to use a closet in the kitchen for a half bath. Sure, it was out of the main food prep area, but it still bugged me that there was a windowless room in the kitchen with a toilet in it (oh, we also carved out space in there for a stack W&D and possibly the tiniest sink, EVER). When we put that house up for sale (we had finished the restoration and I was bored) about 95% of the potential buyers remarked negatively about the position of the bath in the kitchen. Our options, including time, were severely limited, but we could have thought just a little more carefully about how to enter the half-bath, and flipped the door to it so you enter from the foyer, which was where the back wall of the kitchen closet was. I guess we just didnt think about that. My message is this: rather than do it fast and use whats already there, think carefully about adding a bath in a kitchen. In our case if we had been less anxious to get it done we could have been better able to sell the house faster and for a higher price....See MoreSpace between dining room table and buffet
Comments (16)To answer ajsmama's questions: The china cabinet and console are both approx. 36" wide and 18" deep. There isn't room for furniture to the left of the french doors because there are double windows there (I love window : ) The table is oval. Sue I think you're right that the china cabinet would look awkward between the french doors and bay. Too much going on. Maybe I should go back to the idea of built in cabinets with window seat. And then look for a narrow, long antique console to dress up the long wall. It's a good idea to mark off the floor. Thanks everyone....See MoreHow can we best use 9 X 10 ft area between kitchen and dining room?
Comments (5)Lisa T, We are just two people so adding a small table against a wall is a great idea! And, if we place the table against the wall where the chairs are in the drawing above, we get amazing space utilization (even better than if we place the table on opposite wall where the TV is in the drawing). Below are photos how new arrangement works in dining area and in adjacent living and kitchen areas. You have to use your imagination! PHOTO #1 BELOW: In photo, I am trying to show HALF of a table for 2. Other half will go where counter is. This will center table along wall in back of powder room (where chairs are in the current diagram). And, we will have plenty of clearance so can enter this space through doorway. We are removing the door so it will just be an opening and we will be able to walk into dining area and then on into kitchen area. A small table (2 feet 6 inches X 3 feet 6 inches) against the wall will seat 2. Move small table off the wall to seat 4. Move small table parallel to the wall and extend it with leaves to seat 6-8 (but will be a bit narrow, according to chart below from dimensions.com). PHOTO #2 BELOW: Making change mentioned above, allows us to have more room for furniture in living area! We can have a couch in front of the sliding glass door and two chairs opposite TV to be mounted on wall. PHOTO # 3 BELOW: Please excuse the mess! I just want to show that our 194 inch wall with kitchen cabinets (shown in diagram) can now be extended by 36 inches of upper and lower cabinets and we will still have 6 feet of floorspace before we get to the chair that's closest to the dining/kitchen area! We can use some of that 6 feet of floorspace between end of cabinets in kitchen/dining and chairs along wall in living area, and here's how: Mark transition from wall of cabinets to dining/living space, at the very end of the row of cabinets, by adding a tall plant. That will take up, 2 feet of floor space. We can put in a 36 inch cooktop in kitchen instead of a 30 inch one. This will move the wall of cabinetry 6 inches more toward living area. We can add 9 inch pull out on each side of the cooktop (for frequently used spices and oils). This will move wall of cabinetry 18 inches more toward living area. In TOTAL, after making above 3 changes, we are taking up total of 4 feet (2 + 1/2 + 1 1/2 = 4) of floor space along the wall. So we'll still have 2 feet of floorspace between the plant and the chair in the living area. And since it's a plant (and not a cabinet), it will feel like there's even more than 2 feet of space. Note: I don't want to confuse things, but the diagram I shared above shows the wall of cabinets in kitchen as 12 inches longer than it really is. Since these calculations are based on this diagram, we really have 12 inches more of floorspace, and that means there 3 (not 2) feet of space between plant and the first chair. So we have a nice amount of space on floor. Lisa T, wow, your comment came just at the right time! Thanks! I took the last 6 hours or so, non-stop to figure this all out and write it up --and now I'm exhausted and hungry! Would love to know what you all think! Do you see any issues??? Please don't hesitate to be critical. Thanks!!!...See MoreAngel 18432
2 years agoctaron
2 years agoAngel 18432
2 years agoctaron
2 years ago
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